South Bend steers clear of roundabout idea

SOUTH BEND — Citing overwhelming public opposition, the city hasscrapped plans to build a new traffic roundabout on South Main Street.

The city in February announced it would start building the roundabout in the 4100 block of South Main next year.

But residential and commercial property owners near the site objected so much that the city has withdrawn the proposal, city officials said.

"The public was pretty adamant that the roundabout was a horrible idea," city planner Bill Schalliol said today. "The last thing we wanted was to build a road that nobody wanted to use."

The roundabout was part of a plan, initially conceived at least eight years ago, to divert traffic from the Main Street/Ireland Road intersection — and that’s still the city’s focus. Because that intersection is so close to Michigan Street, traffic backs up along Ireland Road, causing congestion at the Michigan Street intersection.

But now Barbie Street will be extended west through Michigan Street, and a four-way signalized intersection will connect Barbie with Main. Main will then run south and bend westward, connecting with what is now Lafayette Boulevard.

What the city is calling the "Lafayette-Main Connector" will intersect with Ireland Road at the existing Lafayette/Ireland intersection, adjacent to the Erskine Commons area, which is anchored by Walmart and Lowe’s stores.

The city sees two others benefits to the project. It would create a new commercial development site on the northeast corner of Lafayette and Ireland, and it would extend Barbie Street west to access the Showplace 16 movie theater at 450 W. Chippewa Blvd.

Schalliol said the signalized Main/Barbie intersection will require less land acquisition than a roundabout would have. At the same time, the change will increase road construction and utility costs in some other areas, and the city will incur long-term traffic signal maintenance costs it wouldn’t have had with a roundabout.

"I stand resolute in my belief that a roundabout makes for a better intersection for this site," Schalliol said. "But the work it would take to get the land and the cost did not justify it in this case."

Ultimately, Schalliol estimated the design changes could reduce the project’s total estimated cost from about $3.5 million to $3 million, money that will come from tax increment financing district revenue. He noted those figures are "rough" because land appraisals have not yet been completed.

One person happy with the city’s change of course is Carl Kay, owner of Carl Kay Memorials, 4105 S. Michigan St.

The roundabout’s eastern leg would have run directly through where his building sits. Kay didn’t want to relocate from the high-traffic spot.

The city now will need none of his property, and will install a new traffic signal at Michigan and Barbie.

"I’m very, very pleased," Kay said. "Getting my customers in here, it’s going to be much safer having a traffic light in front of my business."

The new plans will instead run Barbie Street directly through Premier College of Cosmetology’s building, which has operated at 4043 S. Michigan St. since 1994.

Mary "Bobbi" Rajski, who owns Premier with her husband Robert, said they are "fine with everything." They plan to relocate. Whether they move into an existing building elsewhere or build anew will depend on how much the city offers them for their property, Mrs. Rajski said.

"We’re OK with the proposal they’ve made ... but we don’t know the offer they’re going to make us and if we’re going to be happy with it," Mrs. Rajski said.

She said she loves the city’s south side and her site’s proximity to the St. Joseph Valley Parkway, or bypass.

The new plans also mean the city won’t have to displace Main Street residents David Bolinger and his neighbors, Frank and Irene DeBuysser, all of whom told The Tribune in February that they didn’t want to move.

The city will host a public meeting to review the new plans from 4 to 6 p.m. Thursday at O’Brien Recreation Center.

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Schalliol said he hopes to put the project out for bid by the end of the year and break ground on the new road early next year.

If you go

The city of South Bend will host an informational meeting about its plans for the new Lafayette/Main Connector project from 4 to 6 p.m. Thursday at O’Brien Recreation Center, 321 E. Walter St.